1. Field of the Invention. This invention pertains to animal care, and more particularly to apparatus for storing food and water for pets on a year around basis.
2. Description of the Prior Art. The problems associated with feeding and watering pet dogs are well known. For the owner's convenience, it is desirable that a large supply be available to the pet so that the supply need be only infrequently replenished. On the other hand, dogs tend to spill unconsumed provisions, which is both uneconomical and unsanitary. Particularly with indoor feeding, it is very difficult to provide suitable arrangements for furnishing food and water on an unattended basis.
The problems remain if outdoor feeding locations are chosen. The greater size and activity of outdoor dogs increases the risk of spillage and waste. Although perhaps the environmental problems are less serious than with food and water spilled indoors, outdoor spillage is nevertheless unsightly and unsanitary. An additional problem associated with outdoor feeding locations is that the food and water must be protected from the weather and from airborn pollutants. Further, in cold weather the water must be protected from freezing.
Various products have been developed in attempts to solve the foregoing problems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,831,593 shows an animal feeder especially designed for use by mink. The feeding housing is quite unsatisfactory for dogs, however, because the food and water bowls are individually accessible only from opposite ends of the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,845,896 shows an animal feeding cabinet that includes a roof and a moveable shelf for storing food and water inside the cabinet. The moveable shelf must be opened by the owner each time his pet wants to eat or drink and then closed when the pet is finished. The required presence of the owner for operating the feeding station of the U.S. Pat. No. 2,845,896 is a great inconvenience.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,121,419 discloses a pet feeding station that has a hinged cover for protecting the food and water. By walking on a treadle, the pet operates the cover to pivot open and expose the food and water. That device is not completely satisfactory, because the working parts may stick in either the open or closed position, thus defeating the purpose of the cover.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,855,314; 3,651,787; and 4,044,723 show feeding stands that raise the food and water off the ground. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,855,314 and 4,044,723 the bowls are completely exposed, so any spillage falls unsanitarily onto the ground or tabletop, respectively. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,651,787, the bowls are only loosely set in place, so they can be pushed around and the contents spilled. None of the feeders of the aforementioned patents offer protection against the weather.
Thus, a need exists for an improved animal feeding station that stores and protects food and water in a convenient and sanitary manner.